The village of Savin Bor is the only one in the territory of the municipality of Petnjica and the geographical area of Bihor, which has not been left without inhabitants and in which it is still felt that the local community functions in every respect.
Its residents were therefore pleased by the news that an agreement was on the horizon to open the border crossing towards the Pešter Plateau and the closest town in Serbia, Tutin.
"From here it is just as far to Tutin as it is to Petnjica, which is about twelve kilometers. When the border crossing is opened, we will easily be able to reach that city in Serbia, where the market is much larger," says the president of the local community, Senad Rastoder.
Resident Zaim Ličina also believes that the people of that region are naturally inclined to cooperate with people living in the Peštar highlands.
"We are separated from Serbia only by the administrative border and nothing else. With the establishment of the state border in this area, the local population faced certain problems, because in this part they were prevented from free passage to the territory of Serbia. The opening of the border crossing and the proximity of Tutin will also affect the economy in this part of Bihor, because a large market is opening up for us", Ličina believes.
The picturesque village of Savin Bor, which stretches twelfth kilometer from Petnjica towards the border with Serbia, is one of the few in the north of Montenegro that can boast of still having strong family farms, similar to some distant and more beautiful times.
Although it is a mountainous place, located at over 1.200 meters above sea level, the local community of Savin Bor has over 500 inhabitants, who are mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry.
The fact that life in this area has not stopped is also indicated by the elementary school in Savin Bor, which has over 120 students with regional classes.
It is particularly interesting that the inhabitants of this village breed close to two thousand sheep and eight hundred cows, especially when it is known that the livestock in the area of Bihor has been completely decimated in the last few decades.
Locals state that Savin Bor is a specific place in many ways and that this area is inhabited by hard-working and honest householders, who are genetically destined to work and live from their work.
"We are witnessing that the villages in the north of Montenegro, even those that are close to the city, are slowly becoming deserted. Fortunately, this is not the case with Savina Bor, even though it is a place that is more than 30 kilometers away from Beran. It is true that even this village has not been bypassed by the emigration of the local population, but it is not as pronounced as in some other areas", says the president of the local community.
Rastoder adds that the people in that place survived through the centuries thanks to persistent work.
"That practice continues to this day. This is indicated by the fact that there is no house in Savina Bor that does not keep at least five cows, unless it is a socially vulnerable household," says Rastoder.
This local community once had over a thousand inhabitants. However, many made their family nest in Western European countries, mostly in Luxembourg and Switzerland. Not a small number of those who, in search of a better life, went to live and work in larger Montenegrin centers, such as Podgorica, Bar and Ulcinj.
Locals point out that emigrants from Savina Bor truly help their homeland and make a full contribution to the preservation of life in this mountain place.
"Many went abroad and acquired enviable wealth there. However, they never forgot their birthplace. Their help regularly arrives in Savin Bor, either in the form of financial allocations for their loved ones, or through various donations aimed at creating better conditions for life in this virtuous area", says Rastoder.
He believes that this help certainly strengthens their farms and gives them additional motivation to persevere in the work that their ancestors did.
"In addition, it is much easier for us today than our fathers and grandfathers, because we managed to supply all the necessary agricultural machinery adapted to modern living conditions", emphasizes the president of the local community, Savin Bor.
Locals claim that with appropriate incentive measures aimed at the needs of younger generations, Savin Bor could become an even more attractive place to live.
Exemplary herdsmen from this region believe that if migration movements are to be stopped, special attention must be paid to young people.
"It is necessary to establish a solid relationship with our students and introduce them to the development potential of Petnjica, so that after completing their studies, they return in as large a number as possible and make a full contribution to the development of the environment in which they were born. In the same way, stimulating measures should be introduced for young married couples who express their willingness to remain living in their homeland", say residents of Savina Bor.
Locals claim that Savin Bora and its surroundings can become a real tourist paradise if its natural potentials are properly valorized.
"Everything here is natural and untouched. From food to water and air. That is why this area deserves to be declared a protected ecological and tourist zone. This, along with the opening of shopping centers and the installation of capacities for the production of healthy food and accommodation for tourists, would bring numerous benefits to the entire area and additionally have an impact on raising the birth rate and stopping emigration", claim the locals.
We are naturally directed to Tutin, and we have to go around and around
Locals of Savina Bor and several other villages that gravitate to the Pešter plateau believe that the establishment of a border crossing at the doorstep of their households will contribute to a better economic position.
"We are naturally directed to that area, to which we now have to go round and round, through Rožaj and the Dračenovac state crossing, which is unrealistic, when everything is at our fingertips here with a shortcut," says Rastoder.
The locals of this region are now more willing to invest in building houses, employ craftsmen and workers, convinced that much better days are coming for Savin Bor and Bihor.
The border crossing with Serbia, which will be opened above the village, in the town of Kruščica, will undoubtedly contribute to greater exchange of goods, faster communication, will stop wild crossings and the problems associated with it.
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